"A missing girl. Five friends. Not everyone will make it home alive."

This mystery centers around Sadie Saunders, a popular teenager who has gone missing. Everyone in town believes she has to be dead after being gone for more than a few days. As the cops are searching the nearby woods and using dive teams to explore the bottom of the powerful river that winds around the sleepy town hidden in the middle of nowhere, everyone knows it's a body they're really searching for. Enter Fleet, the typical damaged detective with a heart of gold. This is the first time he's returned to his hometown since he lost someone he loved here a long time ago. The locals aren't shy about voicing their doubts about Fleet's ability as an investigator. They put pressure on the police force to solve the mystery of Sadie's disappearance and Fleet's boss is ready to lock someone up just to appease them, justice be damned. Obviously our detective's moral compass cannot allow this and so Fleet sets out to uncover the truth and apprehend the real party or parties responsible for Sadie's disappearance.

Meanwhile, rumors swirl around the town and seem to settle around Sadie's closest friends. There's Abi and Cora, who are constantly competing to be Sadie's BFF. Mason has been the subject of most of the rumors as he's Sadie's boyfriend and is known to have quite a bad temper. There's also Fash, a kind kid from a strict household, and Luke, Sadie's twin brother. These five teens take it upon themselves to conduct their own search party in the woods after coming to the conclusion that the cops are planning to have Mason take the fall. Poorly prepared, they set out into the wilderness to find their missing friend and quickly realize that they all have their own motives for wanting Sadie gone. Their distrust of one another erupts into violence and one member doesn't make it back from the search party alive.

The tagline for Simon Lelic's The Search Party immediately grabbed my attention. It was oozing with suspense, so I decided to give it a try. I'd previously read another of Lelic's works earlier this year, The New Neighbors, and while I liked it, it didn't blow me away. So I thought it only fair to give the author another shot. There were plenty of good things about this book. Mysteries involving crimes among a close-knit group of friends are a dime-a-dozen it seems, but Lelic's smooth writing and genuine characters made the familiar premise feel fresh and exciting. Each of the teens was presented authentically with his or her own realistically flawed personality. The dialogue seemed natural and kept the story moving quickly. On the other hand, Fleet's character was far too stereotypical to capture my interest. Throw him in the mix with a bunch of other mystery novel detectives and you'd never be able to pick him out. Besides the characters, the overall narrative was just one note for me. The climax never reached the level of intensity I was hoping for, partially because the final "twist" wasn't as unexpected as I think the author intended it to be. The Search Party was entertaining enough, but it's not a book that is going to stay with you long after you've put it down.

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

*Thanks to the author, Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The entire town thinks sixteen-year-old Sadie Saunders is dead. Missing now for a week, they say she was murdered. And they think they know who did it.

Sadie's five best friends aren’t so sure, and they vow to find out the truth. So they pack their bags and head into the woods where Sadie was last seen.

This starts with a call to emergency services. That sucks you in. But then it goes to Day 6… Day 6 of Sadie Saunders disappearance. I felt like I had really missed something. When the police are interviewing the group of friends, it is just each individual talking to the police. Telling their story, but there are no questions from the police. The kids are talking. That took a little bit to get used to as there were no actual “interviews”.

There are two investigations going on. One is the search for Sadie, and the other is the investigation as to what happened in the woods, while the kids were searching for her. Although I was confused while reading this a little bit, it all connected and tied up nicely. I didn’t really suspect the outcome.

This book was given to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Simon Lelic and Berkley Publishing Group.

Told through many different perspectives as each of the young adults involved in the search party for a missing friend, tell their side of the story while being interviewed by the police. The Search Party is a book that focuses on just a few days and a few friends who are bound and determined to find her and get to the bottom of her disappearance.

This book was ok, but not amazing. At times it felt disjointed as the kids told their versions of the truth. It was easy to forget who was talking and who's perspective we were reading from. I think I would have limited the perspectives and maybe not used all the kids voices, but just a few.

I did enjoy the twists and turns the book took. I loved the outcome and the final culprit which is always a measure of how I rate a mystery thriller. I believe the final culprit is a good indicator of the story and if I like how it comes to the conclusion then overall I can like the book. I could enjoy how the characters came to the end and how it all came together.

I would read another book by this author and hope that with different formatting and characters, I could get into and enjoy the story a little more.

In The Search Party by Simon Lelic, sixteen-year-old Sadie is missing and the entire town is looking for her, hoping she is still alive. Her five friends decide to go into the woods and look for her, but each friend has a secret and things aren’t as innocent as they seem with these teenagers.

Sadie is the golden child and her twin brother pales in comparison. Did he do something? Her boyfriend Mason has been too possessive with Sadie. Did he take things too far? Fareed is Mason’s best friend, he must know something. Cora is jealous over Sadie and all the attention she gets, and what about Abigail, who has her own issues with Sadie?

Though the friends think Sadie has run off into the woods, the police have divers looking for her in the river. Who is going to find Sadie? Detective Robyn and his partner Nicola are investigating Sadie’s disappearance. Robyn has a reason for wanting to find Sadie. His own sister was killed many years ago. Perhaps his involvement, in this case, is in response to how his sister’s case was handled years ago? Maybe he’s taking things personally. We find ourselves asking who is hiding what, and why? The pressure is on Rob to find Sadie. The community wants answers.

Official synopsis:

The entire town thinks Sadie Saunders is dead. Missing now for a week, they say she was murdered. And they think they know who did it.

Aware of the suspicion that surrounds them – and one of them in particular – Sadie’s five best friends vow to find out the truth. So they pack their bags and set off for the woods where Sadie was last seen.

But what starts as a search quickly turns into something more sinister. Each of them has a secret, and they all know more about Sadie’s past than they are willing to admit. As the landscape opens up, and the darkness closes in, the reality of their situation begins to dawn on them. It was never really a search party. It was a witch hunt.

This novel kept me guessing from start to finish! It comes out on August 20, pre-order here.

Thrillers are sort of my go-to genre, and for some reason this one was a mismatch for me. The premise is intriguing, but the execution is off (at least for me). I found the police interview chapters with the teens a little unrealistic - it was jarring to only have one side of the conversation from each character and I felt that each of the teen characters sounded the same. There wasn't much to differentiate them from each other.

This just was a little too angsty for me, and read more like YA (which isn't my usual jam).

However, it seems like a lot of readers really clicked with this book, so I think i'm an outlier here. Would recommend that thriller lovers give it a shot to see if they connect.

Thank you Berkley for the opportunity to read this!

I kept going between 3 and 4 stars on this one. One is teen missing and another one ends up dead after teenage friends go out on as a search party.
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Liked: I liked how it ended. The wrap up at the end who died and how it all happened was well done. It was weird that all the friends hated each other in some way, but the small town vibe made you realize that the relationships were complicated due to a small friend pool.
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Didn’t like: The switching point of views was a bit much. I would have rather seen this in an interview format instead of each teen telling their side switching first person. The book dragged a smidge due to the jumping.
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I have enjoyed both Lelic books I have read and plan to read more! Recommend for those who liked The Guest List or other mystery/suspense books that have multiple POVs

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkely Publishing for the ARC of The Search Party by Simon Lelic. This is the first book I have read by this author.

Robin Fleet is the lead detective on the disappearance/murder case of Sadie Saunders. He returns to his hometown to investigate what happened to Sadie and determine what her friends are hiding. When the group of five friends are rescued from the woods after creating their own search party, things don’t add up. Each friend is hiding their own secret connection to what happened to Sadie. When one of them is murdered, the investigation intensifies. By solving this case, Fleet will need to come to terms with his own sister’s suicide and his relationship with his mother and wife.

I really struggled to get through this book and forced myself to continue reading so that I could give an honest review. I connected with Fleet and enjoyed his chapters, as he seemed to be the only character that was fully developed. The chapters where Sadie’s friends tell their versions of the story to the police are stilted due to the very lengthy monologues. There was a twist to this mystery, but I didn’t find it plausible or fully developed. I am still trying to figure out aspects of this book, but I don’t think that they will ever make sense. Overall, this just didn’t work for me.

2.5/5 stars

If he writes it, I will come. That's my conclusion after reading three books by this talented author. This one, my third, held my attention from start to finish - just as the other two did.

This story centers around a missing girl named Sadie Saunders; her five friends - and for that matter, the entire town - are convinced that she's been murdered, but no body has been found. Most folks think they know who did it as well, but the friends - one Sadie's boyfriend and another her brother - reluctantly decide to form a search party to comb the woods near the river where her backpack was found.

The beginning actually starts closer to the end as Detective Inspector Robin Fleet and his partner, Nicola Collins, are called in when the young people call in a rather gruesome story. From there, most of the chapters detail police interviews with each of the five friends, thus gradually revealing what really happened and why. The more they talk, the more complicated the story gets - until the end, when the truth finally emerges (with a not totally unexpected twist).

Fleet is a very interesting character with issues of his own, and I wish he'd been more of a player here (hopefully, he'll be back - maybe as part of a series, hint, hint). The teenagers were interesting as well, although it seemed to me they possessed mental processing and verbal abilities far beyond their years. And as I bounced back and forth among their interviews, I couldn't help but feel as if I was in the middle of a game of Clue (was it Mason in the tree with a bottle? Cora in the river with a rock)? After all is said and done, though, I really enjoyed the book. Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read a pre-publication copy.

This was really good. I enjoyed the writing style that goes from the perspective of the detective and the interviews of the characters. I enjoyed how it all came together to tell the story. I was guessing the whole time and I really liked the way it ended. Solid mystery/thriller.

The Search Party hooked me from the beginning. There was no escaping the story after I started! Simon Lelic is a new to me author but won't be for much longer. I enjoyed this captivating thriller and couldn't stop reading once I started! I know many readers are going to feel the same. I recommend it highly!

I really enjoyed this, found it to be original and realistic! I thought it was chilling to the bone, full of twists and turns, gasp worthy shocking, and quite thrilling! Well written, unputdownable, and written to get the full captivation many want! I will continue to read more by this author, as he seems to always put out a solid thriller that really keeps my attention throughout! Highly recommend to my fellow psychological thriller fans and Lelic fans!
Will make sure to buzz it around platforms And use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

I tried twice but just could not get into this book. I don't even know why, I just wasn't finding it compelling. Not for me, I guess.

CAPTIVATING, STUNNING, HEAD SPINNING, TWISTY AND MIND BLOWING!

Five friends decide to go for search party to find Sadie Saunders: Boyfriend, two best girlfriends, brother and boyfriend’s bestie. They think the police officers have no idea where they’re searching for but they know Sadie better than anyone which means they’re so much closer to find the truth about her escape. Wait a minute. Did she really run away?

And let’s learn more about those loyal five teenagers: they truly love her, don’t they?

Even though, prime suspect is his boyfriend Mason Payne is acting too much possessive which suffocated Sadie and they had a huge fight! ( Let’s not forget: Mason abandoned by his mother and living with his abusive, alcoholic father who has legal problems with the authorities. Could his son be like his father? They said they had quite volatile temper!)

And let’s not forget Cora Briggs: a little jealous after Mason chose Sadie over her and Abigail Marshall is so insecure around Sadie: because Sadie’s parents worships the ground she walks as Abi’s own father verbally abuses her and of course she has problems about her weight and her appearance. Could both of girls’ jealousy get out of control and result with hurting their friend?

And what about Fareed Hussein: the best friend of Mason. He is so quiet, friendly, down to earth and he’s under pressure of her over protective and conservative mother who wants to control his life. Could his silence mean he might have been restraining his boiled up anger and keep a big secret that ruin the tight bonding of their friendship?

And what about Dylan Saunders: his parents adore his sister and he is invisible to them. Could this rivalry between the siblings end with something lethal, dangerous and unfixed!

Five friends’ search party ends with another murder. DI Robin Fleet and his smart, loyal partner Nicola Collins resume their interrogations with those suspects/Sadie’s search party members. Their superintendent Burton puts more pressure on them to finalize the case and find the perpetrator to silence the growing displeasing around the public and gossiping media talking about their incapability to solve the case.

Fleet is facing his demons because the people in the town blaming him to misconduct the justice and turn this investigation for his own revenge project. He lost his sister two decades ago and estranged with her mother. Even his soon to be divorced wife thinks the choice he made as accepting to work in this case is self-flagellation. We don’t know his connection with the missing girl and murder investigation till the last chapters so the high tension pacing merging Fleet’s facing with his past and conducting the investigation with narrations of search party members’ interrogations.


Everyone has big secrets. Each of them blames each other. Could one of them be the killer? Is Sadie really dead or did she run away and get away with the investigation to build a new life?

This story resumes confusing your mind, pushing you build more theories about whodunit and who is the most dangerous person in the circle. So much twists, surprises, mouth wide open, “OMG” moments later, you read the conclusion when the author keeps throwing more bombs at your lap and pulling the rug from under your feet, killing your spidey senses!

I couldn’t see it coming and I am still shocked about the ending and I loved the conclusion of Fleet’s part of the story. So overall; this is highly heart throbbing, smart, riveting page-turner with impeccably well-crafted characters. The realistic, layered depictions about the five teenagers’ back stories and Fleet’s heartbreaking story stole my heart. So I’m giving well-deserved, greatly written five stars.

I wish I could read more adventures of DI Rob Fleet in near future installments.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this unputdownable ARC with me in exchange my honest review. I truly enjoyed it.

It’s been a week since 16 year old Sadie Saunders has been seen and most people believe the girl is dead, murdered. Still, her five best friends head out into the forest where Sadie was last seen, but they aren’t looking for Sadie. One of them is a killer, and this excursion into the woods is the plan to smoke out the killer.There’s nothing creepier than a teenager bent on revenge